Ayman al-Zawahiri, al-Qaeda's new leader, is not in Pakistan and the US has
failed to provide any "actionable information" to suggest
otherwise, the country's prime minister said.

Zawahiri, an Egyptian doctor, took over al-Qaeda's leadership after Osama bin Laden was killed in Pakistan last May. America believes that Zawahiri has followed the example of his late predecessor – and a raft of other al-Qaeda figures – and sought refuge in Pakistan.

"Why should I think he [Zawahiri] is in Pakistan?" he asked the Daily Telegraph. The CIA and Pakistan's Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) agency were co-operating closely, he added.

"They should work together and if there is any credible, actionable information, please share with us so that we should catch hold of him," said Mr Gilani. "You have claimed that somebody has said that he is in Pakistan: if there is any information, please share with us."

Asked for his own view on whether Zawahiri was in Pakistan, the prime minister replied: "We don't think so."

His words followed a familiar pattern whereby Pakistan routinely denies the presence of al-Qaeda figures inside its territory, describing any reports to the contrary as mere allegations unsupported by evidence.

America has offered a reward of $10 million (£6.2 million) for the capture of Hafiz Saeed, the leader of an extremist group accused of executing the gun attacks in Mumbai that claimed at least 164 lives in 2008. Saeed indisputably lives in Pakistan: he moves freely from a home in Lahore.

But Mr Gilani said there was insufficient evidence to warrant his arrest. "If you arrest him, that means he will be released by the courts. For the courts you need more evidence," he said. "You know the judiciary is completely independent in Pakistan."

Mr Gilani's four years in office have been enough to make him the longest serving prime minister in Pakistani history. His elected civilian government has a good chance of being the first ever to complete a full term, which ends next year.

Mr Gilani will then fight an election against Imran Khan, the former cricket captain turned opposition politician. The prime minister proclaimed himself unworried by Mr Khan's challenge.

"In each and every election, there's always a perception from the media that he'll do better than before, but each time he doesn't do better than before," said Mr Gilani. "We'll beat them hands down."